This webinar continues the conversation started in Prof. Jon Metzler and Prof. Andrew Reddie’s War on the Rocks article “The Double Power Law: How American Innovation Really Works,” framing U.S. innovation as emerging from systems: publicly funded basic research and venture‐backed commercialization. Jon, Andrew, and Leah will unpack how leading research universities continue to serve as critical engines for early‐stage technology discovery, forming the foundation of a decentralized venture portfolio that gives rise to frontier technologies. The speakers, in reaction to the current university funding environment, will also discuss the importance of institutional autonomy, funding breadth, and university–laboratory–industry linkages for preserving American competitiveness.